The invention herein pertains to fabric detwisting apparatus and particularly pertains to detwisting apparatus as used for continuously processing tubular knitted fabrics.
Continuous fabric detwisting is old and well-known in the textile industry whereby, for example tubular knitted fabrics are processed as seen in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,353. Detwisting tubular fabrics may be required between a bleaching kier and washing, padding, drying and various other operations by utilizing a rotatable cylinder which will engage the tubular fabric and rotate it in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as required to prevent the fabric from knotting or kinking as it is processed. Such tubular knitted fabric is introduced into a cylinder detwisting apparatus whereby compressed air fills and expands the tubular fabric so that it impinges the interior wall of the cylinder. Frictional engagement between the inner cylinder walls and the tubular fabric causes the fabric to be twisted (or detwisted) as the cylinder rotates.
In such prior art fabric detwisting devices as mentioned above the inner walls of the detwister cylinder are sized to accommodate the external diameter of the tubular fabric in an expanded posture so sufficient frictional contact is made to engage the moving fabric. Hence, the cylinder must have a proper diameter so its inner walls will sufficiently contact the expanded tubular fabric. Should the cylinder have too great of a diameter, then little if any twisting action will be applied to the tubular fabric. Should tubular fabric be formed having a diameter substantially smaller than the diameter of the detwister cylinder, then the detwisting equipment would have to be replaced or the cylinder replaced with one of smaller diameter at great cost, requiring expensive labor with equipment and manufacturing down time.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art fabric detwisters, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a detwister which will accommodate a variety of tubular fabric diameters.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an insert for placing within a conventional fabric detwister cylinder to accommodate a variety of tubular fabric diameters.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a fabric detwister cylinder insert which includes an inner sinuous cylindrical wall.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing an insert for affixing interiorly of a conventional fabric detwister cylinder. The insert is sinuously shaped to provide sufficient frictional engagement with various diameter tubular fabrics passing therethrough. As relatively large diameter tubular fabric pass through the insert, the entire inner insert wall is contacted by the tubular fabric. When a smaller diameter tubular fabric is introduced, only the innermost portions of the sinuously shaped inner walls are impinged. However, sufficient frictional engagement is achieved to properly rotate or detwist the fabric as required. The insert is in axial alignment with the outer conventional cylinder and may extend the entire longitudinal distance of the outer or standard cylinder.